My Ride With #TheNewKia 2017 Event in San Diego

Let me tell you, there have been a lot of companies that I’ve had the pleasure of working with in the year’s I’ve been a blogger. Although all of them have their special place in my heart, Kia has definitely left one of the most delightful impressions in my life. All of the companies I work with and have worked with in the past have become like an extended family to mine. Kia though has definitely made their mark in my life and made me feel so much at home every single time I work with them.

Last month in June I was invited to join Kia in San Diego to learn more about the new Ecodynamic line of vehicles they are introducing to the market. We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego which overlooked much of downtown. I was surprised to know that just a few short years ago this town wasn’t a bustling city the way it was when I visited. Petco has a lot to do with that where they have helped restore much of the city as well as the baseball stadium which was very visible from the rooftop of the hotel.

My adventure with Kia in San Diego, of course, started with me leaving my beautiful hometown in Virginia. I set off in the 2017 Kia Sorento which had become my best friend over the last two weeks I was able to test drive it. Prior to my trip to San Diego, I had taken the 2017 Kia Sorento to Williamsburg with my whole family as we explored the 2017 Food and Wine Festival at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. That was such a tasty fun journey that I was so happy to share with my family and Kia.

Once I landed in San Diego I was ushered to The Hard Rock Hotel where I stayed in an awesome room. Aside from the many delicious beverages I could choose from, I had a huge flat screen TV and couch to rest on. The flight was long so I adventured into the bathroom area where I spotted and awesome rain shower and sink vanity where I felt like a rockstar from sure. The bed has the most comfortable pillows as well as a huge flat screen TV that I watched Bizzare Foods with Andrew Zimmerman on. Yes, I told yall many times before I love that show!

To kick off the event we had dinner at the Rustic Root where we ate some delicious appetizers as well as some super delicious drinks upstairs. I had, of course, a Bahama Momma with a nice white wine on the side. See how I made that sound like a full meal right there? Once we went downstairs we found a live band playing and so much more food to try. Our host wanted us to taste the best of San Diego that he truly loved, so we were able to go to different stations and sample many delicious foods. My favorite had to of been the fried chicken on top of greens, it was so delicious and oh so filling. PS. I loved the fries they served as well, sorry not pictured I ate them up too quickly.

The next morning we learned many new things about the EcoDynamic vehicles as well as some interesting information about where the whole look of Kia’s originated from. Did you know that the look of the Kia vehicles mimics Albert Bermann’s vision of a Tiger? The next time you look at a Kia vehicle check out the front of the car and see if the song “Eye of the Tiger” starts playing in your head, I know that’s what happens to me whenever I look at a Kia vehicle.

By the way Congratulations Kia for topping the J.D. Power Study list for the second year in a row. Kia provides Five Kia Vehicles with the Most of Any Nameplate who Earn IQS Segment Awards; Kia Posts the Lowest Number of Problems in the Last 20 Years of the J.D. Power Study.

Out of all the car’s I know I shouldn’t pick a favorite but I have to say the 2017Kia Optima Hybrid is my ultimate favorite of the Eco-Dynamic vehicle line. I know I have a big family, with 2 preteen boys and 2 younger girls, but a mom needs to plan for the future. I would love to have this car as a town car, or even just to have once the boys get older and have their own cars to drive around. Speaking of teenage boys driving cars you should definitely check out Kia’s B.R.A.K.E.S. program where Kia is helping teenagers be prepared for the road.

Circling back to how I feel in love with the Kia Optima Hybrid, I fully love this car because it has regenerative breaking, I talk a lot about that in my past post from when I visiting Washington D.C. and met this beauty for the first time back in April. Driving this baby on the highway is a dream, it’s such a smooth ride and oh yeah did I mention the sunroof is fabulous yet? Probably not but it is! FYI sticking your head out the top of it while driving is not recommended, even though it’s hilarious as I don’t know what. We stopped at a sweet spot and loaded up on some Krispy Creme Donuts and drinks and hit the road again to test drive another vehicle.

While choosing which car we wanted to drive next we ran into a few blogger friends. Nicki from NickisRandomMusings.com, Dani from OkDani.com, and Danielle from Mamademics, and a surprise guest. What is listening to car tunes really all about if you aren’t doing it with a bunch of friends in a 2017 Kia Soul EV? I feel like this one is going in my favorite memories vault and staying on the internet forever now. Press play if you’re ready to jam with some seriously awesome friends of mine.

After we were finished goofing off we took a spin in the 2017 Kia Niro Plugin Hybrid which I absolutely love as well. It’s spacious and boasts 3 rows of seats. It fits up to 7 people which made our lip sing video above possible. 8 if you include the trunk space that can totally be utilized at your own discretion (disclaimer: you do not need to put a human in the back to test out this theory).

The party was not over once we finished test driving the Ecodynamics fleet, the party officially started once the stage became filled with a live band for live karaoke. To be honest I have never done live karaoke before or really sang in front of a crowd before. I have the worst stage fright you could possibly ever see in person. I usually freeze up and my voice goes in and out, after a few rounds of liquid courage and some insanely other great talent hitting the stage it was my turn. I grabbed a few backup singers and some beautiful backup dancers and hit the stage with my heart beating out of my chest.

I sang I love Rock and Roll and surprisingly made it through the entire song without passing out. It was truly one of the best experiences I’ve had on a trip and such a rush. I love to sing and was happy I got to face my fear and get on that stage. Not going to lie I want to hit another stage again with Kia and since some other great songs with my new Kia Family. I hope my beautiful backup dancers will be there as well as the other lovely talented backup singers.

The last day was our farewell breakfast when it seemed like everyone who started out as strangers at first seemed to all come together and hang out one last time. It was so bitter sweet to leave my new family to go back to my babies at home. I definatly am writing this trip as one of my top fun expierences that I’ve had this year and cannot wait to see my Kia Family again soon.

KIA vehicles typically feature Harmon audio systems, which really make the audio experience amazing. I test drove a KIA Soul when I was car shopping and it really had a very functional but stylish vibe.